


Trapped

by NinesByDawn



Series: Nest Building [16]
Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:01:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23771248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NinesByDawn/pseuds/NinesByDawn
Summary: RobRae Week 2020 Day 3 prompt.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Raven
Series: Nest Building [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1655041
Kudos: 25





	Trapped

With fame came the spotlight, and with the spotlight came obligations.

The annual charity event the team hosted tended to differ wildly from year to year. It had been started by the Titans as another method of satisfying the endless fan thirst, while also allowing them to give back to the community. However, there was always an entangled mess of sponsors and other parties to satisfy in order to let them even pull something off like that to begin with, and they usually ended up dictating what they could and couldn’t do. Robin was obligated to be there this year, according to the rotating system they’d all set up, and the powers that be had decided that no other Titans were necessary either.

Robin fell somewhere between the extreme ends of Starfire and Raven on the team spectrum in terms of his attitude towards fans. He could do without the rabid fangirl part of his fanbase, but the others generally tended to be respectful enough, albeit grating at times. Nice fans would get autographs, pictures, and if they were lucky, maybe even some advice. Fangirls would usually get a blank stare and façade of politeness that masked his ignorance of them, a technique he had mastered from spending so much time around a certain empath.

He sighed as he tapped his fingers absentmindedly against the podium, watching the people shuffle in and out of the room. The day had already seemed much longer than it was. Athletic competitions to show off his skills in the morning, lunch with charity reps, and a Q&A currently. He wouldn’t even be free once the event ended, as he would have to answer more questions submitted online for the rest of the night.

“Over here on the left,” the moderator said, pointing to the raised hand.

“Robin!” It was a young boy, wearing a backwards baseball cap. “Who would you say is the best dancer on the team?”

“Best dancer?” He thought about it for a moment. “Well, I’ll put myself up there. Cyborg has some sick moves too. We’re all decent dancers. I guess it depends on what kind of music is playing.”

“What about Raven?”

“Raven doesn’t like to dance,” he chuckled. “Although I’m sure she’d be pretty good at it if she wanted to.”

“In the back.”

“Robin, how big is your staff? Fully extended, I mean.”

“I’ve already answered this question, and no, you are not being subtle,” he muttered. “It’s six feet, an inch and a half.”

“Please keep your questions short and direct, as we have many people who have yet to have the chance to ask,” the moderator said. “On the right?”

“Robin, who’s the funniest villain you’ve faced?”

“Robin, what’s your favorite guilty pleasure snack?”

“Robin, what was it like to train with Batman?”

“Robin, can you let us visit the tower sometime?”

The weariness was starting to wash over him now. He’d never realized how tiring it was to sit and listen to other people. Even when working on cases, he was the one thinking, so at least his energy was being put to use. But now, it was simply to endure, and come up with the most non-controversial responses possible.

“Robin!” It was a chubby guy, with long brown hair and pimples dotting his face. Robin guessed he wasn’t much older than him. “Are they gonna bring Adolescent Avengers back?”

“Wha—?” It took Robin a moment. “Oh…wait—you mean that old show? I think Beast Boy still watches that sometimes.”

“Yeah! So what do you think? Is it _finally_ coming back?”

“Hasn’t that show been dead for like, over a decade?” he chuckled. “Why would they revive it?”

“For the _unresolved_ romance between Mr. Optimus and Black Hawk! Why else?!” the guy exclaimed. A few murmurs spread through the crowd, as some were evidently agreeing.

“Didn’t they always annoy each other?” Robin wondered aloud. “I don’t know. I haven’t watched that since I was a kid. I’m sure if they ever do bring it back, they’ll find a way to shoehorn that in for you. But in any case, my answer is probably not.”

“But there’s so much more than that! What about the secret identity of—”

“If you’re done, I really don’t want to waste any more time answering questions about old kids’ shows,” Robin stated. “You gotta move on from the past sometimes. It is what it is.”

“It eez what it eez!” a few members of the crowd echoed, laughing.

Robin narrowed his eyes. “Guys, not that. I didn’t really say it like that, did I…?”

The break to the Q&A mercifully came a few minutes later, and Robin got up, meticulously stretching every limb of his body and yawning.

“So, what’s next?” he asked the moderator. The moderator raised an eyebrow at him.

“This is intermission, Robin. We still have more people who paid to come to the Q&A afterwards.”

“What?” he said, a bit stunned. “I thought we were done!”

“The second half is shorter than the first,” the moderator said, checking his notes. “Afterwards, we have some more meetings for you to attend.”

Robin groaned, taking a sip of water and sitting back down in his chair. He stared blankly at the back of the room, as a few people had sat down already and others filed in and out. He laid back, staring at the ceiling for a few seconds. The clank of something against the table sounded near him, and his head snapped forward to find a mug in front of him.

“Are you having fun yet, Boy Blunder?”

He cracked a small smile. “You know you don’t have to be here.”

Raven made her way behind the table, and set a plate in front of him with a few pastries. “I figured you were close to drowning by this point. This is to get you through the rest of the day.”

“Did you get this from outside?” he asked, examining the coffee.

“Of course not. I brought your roasts from home. And these are from the café,” she said, pointing to the pastries.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me. I did it just as much for myself,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I could practically hear your complaining in my mind right before I came.”

“Yeah, well, you can experience it for real when I have to answer more questions on this tonight,” Robin grumbled, shaking his communicator for emphasis.

“Any questions about me?” she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder as they both gazed out towards the room. A few people were starting to gawk now at her presence.

“Surprisingly, nothing uncomfortable or personal. A kid asked if you could dance.”

“What did you say?”

“I said you could be good at it if you wanted to be,” he said, smiling.

“Doubt it,” she snorted.

“Maybe we should try sometime, then,” Robin said, turning his head to look up at her. “Just us two?”

“You’re so romantic.”

“I know I am,” he quipped, matching her sarcasm with his own peppier brand of it. Raven rolled her eyes as the room started to fill up again, and the moderator shot Robin a look.

“I guess I should head out soon and leave you to your _fans_ , then,” she said.

“Good thing I won’t be up for a long time after this,” Robin muttered, taking a bite out of a pastry and washing it down with a sip of coffee.

“I wouldn’t count on not having to come back at all between now and then, though,” Raven remarked. “Especially when I’m up. You know they love all the little couple activities they can plan to entertain people.”

“That’s something to worry about later,” Robin said, eyeing the people in front of him. “You should get out of here now. Unless you want to turn _this_ into a couple’s Q&A.”

“Fair point. Just try not to whine so much when you’re thinking,” Raven said.

“See you tonight.” He gave a little wave as she promptly covered herself in darkness and disappeared, and turned back to the throng of fans to address more of their ever-pressing questions.


End file.
